Metal lattice wall



Aug. 23, 1932. G. F. HAUF METAL LATTICE WALL Filed Dec. l5, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ug. 23, 1932. G Fb HAU-F 1,873,762

METAL LATTICE WALL Filed Deo. l5. 1927 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 23, 1932' PATENT- fpoFFicE" l GEORGE F. KAUF, or CHICAGO, rLLrNoIs lJunren LA'rrron WALL.

Application med Decemberis, 1927. seiiarNo. 240,112.

` invention relates to metal lattice walls. It relates more particularly to lattice walls, such as are employed to form vthe walls. and gates of poultry or other cages or containers for objects where maximum exposure to'at? mosphere is desirable.

One Object of the invention is to'provide an improved metal latticewall.

Another object is to provide a metal lattice wall which is constructed entirelyy of materials ordinarily found in sheet metal shops.

A further Objectis to providea metal lattice wall which may be entirely constructed by. the use of the usual tools and apparatus found in the ordinary sheet metal shop.

A further object is to providev ametal lattice wall which is unusually rigid in construction, which .is relatively light in weight and which .presents a neat and. finished appearance. f

yA further obj ect is to provide a metal lattice wall which is particularly well adapted for usefin poultry cages in connection with the sliding feedand water troughs therefor and which in use precludes the possibility of decapitation of the poultry, whenl the trough is moved withl respect'to its adjacent lattice wall. v

f Other objects and advantages will be more particularly pointed out in the following description in which 1 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of my improved metal lattice wall during they process of construction, a part thereof being brokenv away; p.

Fig. 2is a perspective view of the Vfinished metal lattice wall, a part thereof being broken away;

of Fig. 2;

' Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of metal lattice wall;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of Vanother modified form of a metal lattice wall; v Y y Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the user-of* the first form of the metalA lattice wall (shown in Figs. 1 to 3) in combination .with a poultryfeed and water trough; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view onthe line 3-3 Fig. 7 kis an end elevation of theassembly illustrated in'Fig. G n In general, 'the metal lattice wall comprises spacedapart parallel rails A and B Vof sheet metal having a plurality of transversely dis'- posed ironY rods O interconnecting the rails to form-a ladder-like .wall structure. VA reinforcing member D is associated with each of the rails to lend/rigidity to the assembly land provide means for itsiready attachment. The metal lattice wall illustrated in Figs. 1 'to 3 and in Figs. 6 and? will first be described. Y f Rails A and B Vare substantially U-shaped in cross-section, the web of rail B being considerably deeper than that of rail A. Each of the rails prior to assembly has laterally enlarged portions or longitudinal beads 10 extending throughout' their length adjacent the marginaledges of the rails, and each rail is provided with a pluralityof openings 11, through the, inner folded edge or apex there'- of. One ,opening ineach rail constitutes a complementary pair 'for receiving opposite ends of `the cross bars C, as will'be hereinafter explained. Q i l Rods or bars C have parallel, laterally bent portions or hooks 12 which, during the proc ess of assembly, vare passed through theeomplementary yopenings 11. assembly f operation'is best accomplished by This step of the bringing the Vinner or foldededges of the rails togetherlwith the edge openings which are to constitute the complementary pairs in register with each other. Then, after one hook of eachcro'ss Vrod is threaded throughvits openings in the two rails, the rails are separated to the .lengthr of the cross rods, as shown in Fig. 1. e

Heavy iron rods D are, placed longitudinally of each of rails A and B within the'enlarged portions 10 and the railsare pressed tightly about rods D and the inner bent ends 12 of rods C. This causes rails A and B to assume the contour illustrated in Fig. 2.

The next step in the construction of the lattice wall is that vof placing and securing rivets 13 through aligned openings 14 provided at spaced intervals along rail B above enlarged portion e It will be KAnotedvthat rods D each extend beyond the ends of rails A and B. This is for the purpose of providing support for the wall, either when used as a permanent wall or as a gate. To assure complete engagement of rails A and B and rods D the rails are spot Welded at each end, as shown at 15, to rods D.

The lattice wall in use is entirely self-supporting and unusually rigid and resists to. a high degree both longitudinally and. laterally fiexing. Thus no means for Vsupport other than the engagement of the ends of the rods D with an adjacent wall or bearing is necessary in the use of thewstructure, either as a Wall or a gate.

. In Fig. 4 a modification of the metal lattice Wall is illustrated which differs from that form shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, in that the reinforcing members D perform the twofold function of reinforcing rails A andA B and also of retaining rods C against movement with respect to the rails. Rails A and B are U-shaped in cross section, the sides of the U being separated sufficiently to receive metal bars D therebetween. The inner sides of these bars engage with the laterally bent portions 12 of rods C and the outer sides lie flush with the outer edges of rails A .andB Rivets 16 extend through aligned openings in the side walls of the rails and through openings. provided in bars D and when set securely fix the reinforcing bars to the rails. The construction and assembly of this modification is extremely simple and provides a rigid., neat appearing lattice wall.

In Fig. 5 another modification of the metal lattice wall is shown in which rails A and B. are similar in contour to rails vA and B but have ini addition inwardly turned portions 17 which lie parallel to the inner walls of the rails and extend throughout the entire length of the rails to a distance `of about one-half the depth thereof.

The distance between the portions 17 and the adjacent inner face of the rails is equiv- Aalent to the thickness of the side walls of a U-shaped reinforcing bar D. Bar D, as shown in Fig. 5, is received within rails A and B, the sides thereof lying between portions 17 of the railsand the adjacent side walls of the rails. In construction these bars are' telescoped longitudinally within the rails after rods C are engaged therewith inthe manner previously described in connection with the assembly of thepreferred form of lattice wall.

The depth of bars D is such as to cause the innermost sides thereof to engage with the laterally bent portions v12 of rods C. i Thus rods G are securely held against displacelment with respect to rails A and B. AW ith vthe parts thus assembled rivets 18 are passed through aligned openings in rails A and B and through simil-ar registering openings in bar D. Rivets 18, when set securely, fix

the bars against disengagement and movement with respect to their associate rails.

One of the important advantages of this modification of the metal lattice wall is that the entire rail structure consists of sheet metal which provides an extremely light, yet rigid, structure which is lower in cost than that modification illustrated in Fig. 4.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have illustrated in part a Vpoultry cage assembly such as used in poultry vcars for` which'my improved metal lattice wall isespecially well adapted.

In this assembly upright angle irons 25 are vfixedv tothe carfioors and to the ceiling of the car and serve as supports for frames 26 uponwhich sliding feed or water troughs 27 are mounted. Frames 126 also Vserve to support sheet metal walls 28.which in part. serve toA form the poultry cages.

.In Figs. 6. and 7 I .haveillustrated that type of lattice wall which is 'shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, as formingthe remaining part of that side of the poultry cage contiguous with wall 28. The metallattice wall is supported upon frames 26 by engagement of those portions of the rod D which extend beyond the end of the rails A and B with frames 26, as shown at 29.

Rail B, being relatively high, extends above the top 30.0f trough 27 so that when the trough 27 is drawn from its supporting frame 26 the rearward end 3l of the trough will not coact with rods G to decapitate poultry which have their heads atthe time between rods C, as in feeding. This decapitation of poultry isquite a common occurrence with the present construction of lattice-'walls and feed troughs in poultry cars. It is entirely precluded bythe useof the lattice wall herein described.

One of the most important advantages at- 'tained by the` construction of the lattice wall set forth herein is that all sharp edges and projections usually found in lattice wallconstruction and caused by the luncovered free and wrapped ends of the rod C about their supporting rails is entirely precluded. This is of particular importance where the vlattice wall is used as for a poultry cage .since in such constructions which permit the exposure of the ends of the rod C lor their convolutions about the rails, the necks and Vbodies of the poultry are often injured by contact with these parts of the wall. A secondary advantage, of course, is that my present constru-ction is neat in appearance and where .a galvanized or rust-proof stock is used for the rod 'C which is severed in forming the rods, the outer ends ofthe rods are entirely encased within the rails so that rust at these points is less apt to occur. y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new andd'esire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A metal partition wall comprising a pair of laterally spaced apart outwardly facing metal rails substantially U-shaped in cross section, a plurality of parallel metal rods having laterally bent portions at their opposite ends, said portions extending through openings provided in the rails and secured thereto, and reinforcing members disposed y between the Usshaped walls of the rails throughout the entire length of the rails and secured thereto.

2. A metal lattice wall comprising a pair of parallel spaced apart rails substantially U- shaped in cross section, a plurality of metal rods having their opposite ends extending through openingsprovided in the rails and having their extremities bent laterally to engage the adjacent innermost surfaces of the rails and reinforcing members extending longitudinally throughl the rails between the sides thereof, said rails pressed about said reinforcing members and about the ends of said rods to secure the members and'rods against movement with respect to one another and to the rails.

3. A metal lattice wall comprising a plurality of spaced apart outwardly facing.

rails, each having openings registering with the openings of the opposite rail through the adjacent walls thereof, a plurality of spaced apart metal rods having their opposite ends bent laterally and extended through said openings in said rails and means cooperating with the rails for securing said rods thereto.

4. In a metal lattice wall the combination of a sheet metal rail of substantially Ushaped cross section and provided with a plurality of openings through the apex of the section, a plurality of metal rods, each rod extending through an opening in the rail and having one end bent laterally to form a hook that lies within and parallel to the apex of the rail section, and a reenforcing member lying along and between the sides of the rail section to stiifen the saine and projecting beyond the ends of the rail section to serve as a support for the lattice wall.

5. In a metal lattice wall the combination of a sheet metal rail of substantially U-shaped cross section and provided with a plurality of openings through the apex of the section, a plurality of metal rods, each rod extending through an opening in the rail and having one end bent laterally to form a hook that lies within and parallel to the apex of the rail section, and a reenforcing and rod locking member lying along and between the sides of the rail section and wedging the hooked ends of the rods into the apex of the rail section to anchor the rods and rail section together.

6. Ak metal lattice wall having a sheet metal rail initially of substantially U-shaped cross section and with a plurality of spaced openings arranged along the apex of the section, a plurality of metal rods, each extending through an opening in the rail and having the end within the rail bent laterally to form a hook lying within and along the rail, and a reenforcing member vlying within and along the rail, the rail being tightly wrapped about both the hooks of the rods and the reenforcing member to rigidly anchor together the rail, rods and reenforcing member. n

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my naine this 2nd day of December, 1927.

v GEORGE F. IIAUF. 

